Compressed mode operation and power control with discontinuous transmission and/or reception

ABSTRACT

Techniques to support operation in a compressed mode and/or a continuous packet connectivity (CPC) mode are described. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) may obtain an assignment of enabled subframes for the CPC mode and an assignment of transmission gaps for the compressed mode. The transmission gaps may be aligned with idle times between the enabled subframes. The UE may exchange data during enabled subframes not overlapping the transmission gaps and may skip data exchanges during enabled subframes overlapping the transmission gaps. The UE may make cell measurements during the transmission gaps. In another aspect, the UE may obtain enabled subframes and skipped subframes, exchange data during enabled subframes not corresponding to the skipped subframes, and skip data exchanges during the skipped subframes. In yet another aspect, the UE may receive orders on a shared control channel to quickly enable and disable the compressed mode.

I. CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119

The present Application for Patent is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/923,983, entitled “COMPRESSED MODE OPERATION ANDPOWER CONTROL WITH DISCONTINUOUS TRANSMISSION AND/OR RECEPTION,” filedOct. 25, 2007, which claims priority to Provisional U.S. ApplicationSer. No. 60/863,128, entitled “COMPRESSED MODE OPERATION AND REVERSELINK POWER CONTROL ADJUSTMENT WITH DISCONTINUOUS TRANSMISSION AND/ORRECEPTION,” filed Oct. 26, 2006, assigned to the assignee hereof, andexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

I. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and morespecifically to techniques for operating a user equipment (UE) in awireless communication system.

II. Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide variouscommunication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging,broadcast, etc. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable ofsupporting multiple users by sharing the available system resources.Examples of such multiple-access systems include Code Division MultipleAccess (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems,Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal FDMA(OFDMA) systems, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems.

A UE (e.g., a cellular phone) may be capable of operating on differentfrequencies and/or in different wireless systems. The UE may communicatewith a serving cell on a particular frequency in one system but mayperiodically make measurements for cells on other frequencies and/or inother systems. The cell measurements may allow the UE to ascertainwhether any cell on another frequency and/or in another system is betterthan the serving cell. This may be the case, for example, if the UE ismobile and moves to a different coverage area. If a better cell onanother frequency and/or in another system is found, as indicated by thecell measurements, then the UE may attempt to switch to the better celland receive service from this cell.

To make cell measurements for other frequencies and/or other systems,the UE may need to tune its receiver away from the frequency used by theserving cell. The system may provide gaps in transmission in order toallow the UE to tune away its receiver and make measurements for otherfrequencies and/or other systems. The operation of the UE may becomplicated by these gaps in transmission.

SUMMARY

Techniques to support operation of a UE in a compressed mode withtransmission gaps and/or a continuous packet connectivity (CPC) modewith discontinuous transmission (DTX) and/or discontinuous reception(DRX) are described herein. In an aspect, the UE may obtain anassignment of enabled subframes for the CPC mode and an assignment oftransmission gaps for the compressed mode. The transmission gaps may bealigned with the idle times between the enabled subframes. For example,each transmission gap may start in an idle time between consecutiveenabled subframes. The enabled subframes may be defined by at least onefirst pattern, the transmission gaps may be defined by at least onesecond pattern, and each second pattern may be multiple times theduration of each first pattern. The UE may exchange data during theenabled subframes that do not overlap the transmission gaps and may skipdata exchanges during the enabled subframes that overlap thetransmission gaps. The UE may make cell measurements (e.g., for otherfrequencies and/or other systems) during the transmission gaps.

In another aspect, the UE may determine enabled subframes and skippedsubframes, e.g., for the CPC mode. The skipped subframes may be a subsetof the enabled subframes. The UE may exchange data during the enabledsubframes not corresponding to the skipped subframes and may skip dataexchanges during the skipped subframes. The UE may make cellmeasurements during the extended idle times between enabled subframesand covering the skipped subframes. The UE may not need to operate inthe compressed mode because of the extended idle times.

In yet another aspect, the UE may obtain a configuration for thecompressed mode and may receive orders on a shared control channel toenable and disable the compressed mode. The configuration for thecompressed mode may be sent via upper layer signaling, and the ordersmay be sent as lower layer signaling. The UE may operate based on theconfiguration for the compressed mode when enabled by an order receivedvia the shared control channel. The orders may be used to quicklydisable the compressed mode prior to a data burst for the UE and toquickly re-enable the compressed mode after the data burst.

In yet another aspect, the UE may determine transmit power used for afirst transmission sent in a first time interval and may determinetransmit power to use for a second transmission in a second timeinterval based on the transmit power used for the first transmission anda power adjustment. The second time interval may be separated from thefirst time interval by an idle period, which may correspond to atransmission gap in the compressed mode or an idle time between enabledsubframes in the CPC mode. The power adjustment may be determined basedon open loop estimates obtained for the first and second transmissions.The power adjustment may also be a predetermined positive value, anincreasing value during an initial part of the second transmission, etc.

Various aspects and features of the disclosure are described in furtherdetail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a wireless communication system.

FIG. 2 shows a frame format in Universal Mobile Telecommunication System(UMTS).

FIG. 3 shows a transmission gap pattern sequence for the compressedmode.

FIG. 4 shows downlink transmission in the compressed mode.

FIG. 5 shows some physical channels in UMTS.

FIG. 6 shows alignment of a transmission gap to idle times in the CPCmode.

FIG. 7 shows skipping enabled subframes to obtain an extended idle time.

FIG. 8 shows an order to quickly enable or disable the compressed mode.

FIG. 9 shows a process for UE operation with transmission gaps alignedwith idle times.

FIG. 10 shows a process for UE operation by skipping some enabledsubframes.

FIG. 11 shows a process for UE operation with quick enabling anddisabling of the compressed mode via orders.

FIG. 12 shows a process for transmission after an idle period by the UE.

FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of the UE and a Node B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunication systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and othersystems. The terms “system” and “network” are often usedinterchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such asUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includesWideband CDMA (W-CDMA) and other CDMA variants. cdma2000 covers IS-2000,IS-95 and IS-856 standards. A TDMA system may implement a radiotechnology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). AnOFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UTRA(E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.20, IEEE 802.16(WiMAX), 802.11 (WiFi), Flash-OFDM®, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part ofUMTS. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is an upcoming release of UMTS thatuses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE and GSM are described in documentsfrom an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP).cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named“3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). These various radiotechnologies and standards are known in the art. For clarity, certainaspects of the techniques are described below for UMTS, and 3GPPterminology is used in much of the description below.

FIG. 1 shows a wireless communication system 100 with multiple Node Bs110 and UEs 120. A Node B may be a fixed station that communicates withthe UEs and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a basestation, an access point, etc. Each Node B 110 provides communicationcoverage for a particular geographic area and supports communication forthe UEs located within the coverage area. The overall coverage area ofeach Node B 110 may be partitioned into multiple (e.g., three) smallerareas. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to the smallest coverage areaof a Node B and/or a Node B subsystem serving this coverage area. Inother systems, the term “sector” can refer to the smallest coverage areaand/or the subsystem serving this coverage area. For clarity, 3GPPconcept of cell is used in the description below. A system controller130 may couple to Node Bs 110 and provide coordination and control forthese Node Bs. System controller 130 may be a single network entity or acollection of network entities.

UEs 120 may be dispersed throughout the system, and each UE may bestationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as a mobile station,a terminal, an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. A UEmay be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wirelessdevice, a handheld device, a wireless modem, a laptop computer, etc. AUE may communicate with one or more Node Bs via transmissions on thedownlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to thecommunication link from the Node Bs to the UEs, and the uplink (orreverse link) refers to the communication link from the UEs to the NodeBs.

FIG. 2 shows a frame format in UMTS. The timeline for transmission isdivided into radio frames. Each radio frame has a duration of 10milliseconds (ms) and is identified by a 12-bit system frame number(SFN) that is sent on a control channel. Each radio frame may also beidentified by an 8-bit connection frame number (CFN) that is maintainedby both a UE and a Node B for a call. Each radio frame is partitionedinto 15 slots, which are labeled as slot 0 through slot 14. Each slothas a duration of T₁₀=0.667 ms and includes 2560 chips at 3.84 Mcps.Each radio frame is also partitioned into five subframes 0 through 4.Each subframe has a duration of 2 ms and includes 3 slots.

UMTS supports a compressed mode on the downlink to provide gaps intransmission to allow a UE to make measurements for neighbor cells. Inthe compressed mode, a serving cell may transmit data to the UE duringonly a portion of a radio frame, which then creates a transmission gapin the remaining portion of the radio frame. The UE can temporarilyleave the system during the transmission gap to make measurements forneighbor cells on other frequencies and/or in other systems withoutlosing data from the serving cell.

FIG. 3 shows a transmission gap pattern sequence for the compressed modein UMTS. In the compressed mode, user-specific data for the UE istransmitted in accordance with the transmission gap pattern sequence,which may include alternating transmission gap patterns 1 and 2. Eachtransmission gap pattern includes one or two transmission gaps. Eachtransmission gap may occur entirely within one radio frame or may spanacross two radio frames. The transmission gap pattern sequence may bedefined by the parameters given in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Symbol Parameter Description Value TGPRC Transmission Number oftransmission gap gap pattern patterns in the transmission gap repetitioncount pattern sequence TGCFN Transmission CFN of the first radio framefor 0 to gap CFN transmission gap pattern 1 255 TGSN Transmission Slotnumber of the first transmission slot gap starting gap slot in eachtransmission gap 1 to 14 slot number pattern TGL1 Transmission Durationof the first transmission gap 1 to 14 gap length 1 in each transmissiongap pattern slots TGL2 Transmission Duration of the second transmission1 to 14 gap length 2 gap in each transmission gap pattern slots TGDTransmission Duration between the starting slots of 15 to gap distancethe first and second transmission gaps 269 slots TGPL1 TransmissionDuration of transmission gap pattern 1 to 144 gap pattern 1 frameslength 1 TGPL2 Transmission Duration of transmission gap pattern 1 to144 gap pattern 2 frames length 2

The compressed mode is described in 3GPP TS 25.212 (section 4.4), 25.213(sections 5.2.1 an 5.2.2), and 25.215 (section 6.1), all of which arepublicly available.

FIG. 4 shows downlink transmission in the compressed mode. Data may betransmitted at a nominal power level in each radio frame without atransmission gap. Data for a radio frame with a transmission gap may betransmitted at a higher power level to achieve similar reliability asdata transmitted in a radio frame without a transmission gap. Atransmission gap may occur between two compressed transmissions and mayhave a duration of 1 to 14 slots. A UE may be allocated a sufficientnumber of transmission gaps of suitable duration to allow the UE to makemeasurements for cells on other frequencies and/or other systems.

3GPP Release 5 and later supports High-Speed Downlink Packet Access(HSDPA). 3GPP Release 6 and later supports High-Speed Uplink PacketAccess (HSUPA). HSDPA and HSUPA are sets of channels and procedures thatenable high-speed packet data transmission on the downlink and uplink,respectively. Table 2 lists some physical channels used for HSDPA andHSUPA in 3GPP Release 6.

TABLE 2 Channel Channel Name Description P-CCPCH Primary Common ControlCarry pilot and (Downlink) Physical Channel SFN HSDPA HS-SCCH SharedControl Channel Carry signaling for (Downlink) for HS-DSCH packets senton the HS-PDSCH HS-PDSCH High Speed Physical Carry packets sent(Downlink) Downlink Shared Channel on the downlink for different UEsHS-DPCCH Dedicated Physical Carry ACK/NAK (Uplink) Control Channel forfor packets sent HS-DSCH on the HS-PDSCH and CQI HSUPA E-DPCCH E-DCHDedicated Physical Carry signaling for (Uplink) Control Channel theE-DPDCH E-DPDCH E-DCH Dedicated Physical Carry packets sent (Uplink)Data Channel on the uplink by a UE E-HICH E-DCH Hybrid ARQ Carry ACK/NAK(Downlink) Indicator Channel for packets sent on the E-DPDCH

FIG. 5 shows some of the physical channels used for HSDPA and HSUPA inUMTS. The P-CCPCH is used directly as timing reference for the downlinkphysical channels and is used indirectly as timing reference for theuplink physical channels. For HSDPA, the subframes of the HS-SCCH aretime-aligned with the P-CCPCH. The subframes of the HS-PDSCH are delayedby τ_(HS-PDSCH)=2T_(slot) from the subframes of the HS-SCCH. Thesubframes of the HS-DPCCH are delayed by 7.5 slots from the subframes ofthe HS-PDSCH. For HSUPA, the frame timing of the E-HICH is offset byτ_(E-HICH,n) chips from the frame timing of the P-CCPCH, whereτ_(E-HICH,n) is defined in 3GPP TS 25.211. The E-DPCCH and E-DPDCH aretime-aligned and their frame timing is offset by τ_(DPCH,n)+1024 chipsfrom the frame timing of the P-CCPCH, where τ_(DPCH,n)=256 n and n canrange from 0 to 149. The frame timing of the downlink and uplinkphysical channels is described in 3GPP TS 25.211. For simplicity, otherphysical channels such as grant channels are not shown in FIG. 5.

3GPP Release 7 supports CPC, which allows a UE to operate with DTXand/or DRX in order to conserve battery power. For DTX, the UE may beassigned certain enabled uplink subframes in which the UE can senduplink transmission to a Node B. The enabled uplink subframes may bedefined by an uplink DPCCH burst pattern. For DRX, the UE may beassigned certain enabled downlink subframes in which the Node B can senddownlink transmission to the UE. The enabled downlink subframes may alsobe referred to as reception frames and may be defined by an HS-SCCHreception pattern. The UE may send signaling and/or data in the enableduplink subframes and may receive signaling and/or data in the enableddownlink subframes. The UE may power down during the idle times betweenthe enabled subframes to conserve battery power. CPC is described in3GPP TR 25.903, entitled “Continuous Connectivity for Packet DataUsers,” March 2007, which is publicly available.

For CPC, the enabled downlink and uplink subframes may be defined by theparameters given in Table 3. CPC supports a transmission time interval(TTI) of 2 ms or 10 ms. The third column of Table 3 gives possiblevalues for the CPC parameters assuming a TTI of 2 ms.

TABLE 3 Parameter Description Value UE DTX Duration between the enableduplink 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16 cycle 1 subframes when the UE has or 20subframes transmitted recently UE DTX Duration between the enableduplink 4, 5, 8, 10, 16 or cycle 2 subframes when the UE has not 20subframes transmitted recently UE DRX Duration between the enabled 1, 4,5, 8, 10, 16 cycle downlink subframes or 20 subframes UE DPCCH Number ofenabled uplink subframes 1, 2 or 5 burst 1 for UE DTX cycle 1 subframesUE DPCCH Number of enabled uplink subframes 1, 2 or 5 burst 2 for UE DTXcycle 2 subframes UE DTX DRX UE-specific offset of the enabled 0 to 159offset subframes from a reference time. subframes

FIG. 5 shows an example configuration of DTX and DRX for a UE in CPC. Inthis example, the UE is configured as follows:

-   -   UE DTX cycle 1=UE DRX cycle=4 subframes,    -   UE DTX cycle 2=8 subframes, and    -   UE DPCCH burst 1=UE DPCCH burst 2=1 subframe.

For the CPC configuration given above, the enabled downlink subframesare spaced apart by four subframes and are shown with gray shading. Theenabled uplink subframes are also spaced apart by four subframes and areshown with gray shading. The alignment of the enabled downlink subframesand the enabled uplink subframes is dependent on τ_(DPCH,n). The enableddownlink and uplink subframes may be aligned in time in order to extendpossible sleep time for the UE. As shown in FIG. 5, the UE may be awakeduring the enabled downlink and uplink subframes and may go to sleepduring the idle times between the enabled subframes. FIG. 5 assumes thatthe UE does not transmit data on the uplink and hence does not need tomonitor the E-HICH for ACK/NAK. The idle times may also be referred toas sleep times, DTX/DRX times, etc.

A UE may operate in the compressed mode and may be assigned atransmission gap pattern sequence. The UE may not receive or send dataduring the transmission gaps. The UE may also operate in the CPC modeand may be assigned certain enabled downlink and uplink subframes forDTX and DRX operation. The UE may not receive or send data during thenon-enabled subframes. When the UE operates in both modes, thetransmission gaps in the compressed mode may impact the operation of theCPC mode. It may thus be desirable to support inter-working between thecompressed mode and the CPC mode.

In an aspect, the transmission gaps in the compressed mode may bedefined to be time aligned (or to coincide) with the idle times in theCPC mode. The parameters for the two modes may be selected to achievethe following:

-   -   1. The periodicity of the transmission gaps is an integer        multiple of the periodicities of the enabled downlink and uplink        subframes, and    -   2. The transmission gaps start during the idle times for CPC.

The transmission gap pattern sequence may be defined to include onlytransmission gap pattern 1 in FIG. 3. For condition 1 above, TGPL1 maybe defined to be an integer multiple of UE DTX cycle 1. For condition 2,TGCFN and TGSN may be defined to take into account the UE DTX DRXoffset. Furthermore, TGL1 may be defined as a function of the idletimes, which may be dependent on τ_(DPCH,n). If a second transmissiongap is included in transmission gap pattern 1, then TGD and TGL2 may bedefined as a function of τ_(DPCH,n), UE DTX cycle 1, and UE DTX DRXoffset such that the second transmission gap coincides with the idletimes for CPC.

A transmission gap in the compressed mode may have a duration of 1 to 14slots. An idle time in the CPC mode may be shorter than the transmissiongap. In one design, the transmission gap may blank out enabled subframesthat fall within the transmission gap. In this design, data is nottransmitted in the enabled subframes that fall within the transmissiongap.

For a CPC configuration with UE DTX cycle 1 and UE DRX cycle both equalto four subframes, as shown in FIG. 5, it can be shown that the idletimes can vary between 1.5 to 4.5 slots, depending on τ_(DPCH,n). Theseidle times are approximate and assume transmission and reception in allenabled subframes. To obtain a longer idle time, the UE may skip oneawake period, in which case the idle time may be extended to between13.5 to 16.5 slots. The extended idle time approximately matches thelongest possible transmission gap duration. For a CPC configuration withUE DTX cycle 1 and UE DRX cycle both equal to eight subframes, it can beshown that the idle times can vary between 7 to 11 slots in one cycle,depending on τ_(DPCH,n). However, the idle time of 7 slots is dividedinto two lengths of 1.5 and 5.5 slots, and the idle time of 11 slots isdivided into two lengths of 4.5 and 6.5 slots. If the UE skips one awakeperiod, then the idle time may be extended to between 15 to 16.5 slots,which is longer than the longest possible transmission gap duration. Ingeneral, an extended idle time matching or exceeding a transmission gapmay be obtained by skipping a sufficient number of awake periods.

The UE and Node B may skip transmissions in enabled subframes that fallwithin transmission gaps. On the downlink, the UE may not be listeningduring the transmission gaps, and the Node B may avoid sending data tothe UE during the transmission gaps. On the uplink, the UE may avoidsending transmission during transmission gaps. If the UE is notconfigured for DRX in CPC, then the UE may monitor all downlinksubframes except for the ones that overlap the transmission gaps.

FIG. 6 shows an example of alignment of a transmission gap in thecompressed mode with the idle times in the CPC mode. The enabledsubframes for each physical channel in FIG. 5 are shown at the top ofFIG. 6. The idle times for the CPC mode are shown near the bottom ofFIG. 6. One transmission gap in the compressed mode is shown at thebottom of FIG. 6. This transmission gap has the maximum duration of 14slots and is aligned to two idle times for the CPC mode. The enabledsubframes in one awake time that falls within the transmission gap maybe skipped. The UE may skip transmission and reception during theskipped subframes. A skipped subframe is an enabled subframe that isskipped so that data or signaling is not sent during the subframe.

In another aspect, a UE may operate in the CPC mode, and extended idletimes for measurements on other frequencies and/or in other systems maybe obtained by skipping some enabled subframes. The UE does not transmitduring skipped uplink subframes and does not receive during skippeddownlink subframes, which are exceptions to the general CPC rules.

FIG. 7 shows an example of skipping enabled subframes to obtain anextended idle time in the CPC mode. The enabled subframes for eachphysical channel in FIG. 5 are shown at the top of FIG. 7. The idletimes for the CPC mode are shown at the bottom of FIG. 7. A set ofenabled subframes in one awake time may be skipped to obtain an extendedidle time, which may cover two normal idle times and one awake time. TheUE may make cell measurements during the extended idle time.

The skipped subframes may be defined by a pattern, which may bedetermined based on various factors such as the UE capabilities. Forexample, if the UE is configured such that the idle times in CPC aresufficiently long, then no enabled subframes may be skipped. Conversely,if the UE is configured such that the idle times are not long enough,then certain enabled subframes may be skipped to obtain sufficientlylong extended idle times. A skipped subframe pattern may be conveyed tothe UE using the signaling mechanism used to configure the compressedmode. The skipped subframe pattern may also be conveyed to the UE inother manners. Since the extended idle times have sufficiently longduration, the UE does not need to operate in the compressed mode.

Conventionally, the compressed mode is configured using upper layersignaling and is enabled all the time until it is disabled withadditional upper layer signaling. The use of upper layer signaling mayresult in longer delay in configuring and enabling the compressed modeand may also consume more signaling resources.

In yet another aspect, a UE may be configured with a transmission gappattern sequence for the compressed mode, and orders to enable anddisable the compressed mode may be sent on the HS-SCCH. The transmissiongap pattern sequence may be defined as described in 3GPP Release 6 or asdescribed above to align the transmission gaps with the idle times inCPC. DTX/DRX in the CPC mode may be enabled and disabled with orderssent on the HS-SCCH. The HS-SCCH orders are lower layer signaling thatmay be sent more quickly and efficiently than upper layer signaling. TheHS-SCCH orders may be used to quickly enable and disable the compressedmode for the UE. For example, the Node B may quickly disable thecompressed mode for the UE whenever the Node B has a large amount ofdata to send to the UE and may thereafter quickly re-enable thecompressed mode after sending the data.

FIG. 8 shows a design of an HS-SCCH order format 800 that may be used toquickly enable and disable the compressed mode for the UE. A signalingmessage sent on the HS-SCCH may include two parts. Part 1 may include a7-bit field for a channelization code set and a 1-bit field for amodulation scheme (Mod). Part 2 may include a 6-bit format ID field, a3-bit order type field, a 4-bit order field, and a 16-bit UEidentity/CRC field. The format ID field may be set to a predeterminedvalue (e.g., ‘111110’) to indicate that the message contains an orderinstead of signaling for the HS-PDSCH. The order type field may be setto a predetermined value (e.g., ‘001’) to indicate that the order is forthe compressed mode (CM) instead of DRX or something else. The orderfield may have a designated bit that may be set to one value (e.g., ‘1’)to enable the compressed mode or to another value (e.g., ‘0’) to disablethe compressed mode. The HS-SCCH order for the compressed mode may alsobe sent in other manners using other message formats.

FIG. 9 shows a design of a process 900 for operation by a UE. Anassignment of enabled subframes for a first mode (e.g., the CPC mode)may be obtained (block 912). An assignment of transmission gaps for asecond mode (e.g., the compressed mode) may be obtained (block 914). Thetransmission gaps may be aligned with idle times between the enabledsubframes. A first set of at least one parameter for the transmissiongaps may be determined based on a second set of at least one parameterfor the enabled subframes to align the transmission gaps with the idletimes. Each transmission gap may start in an idle time betweenconsecutive enabled subframes. The enabled subframes may be defined byat least one first pattern, e.g., an uplink DPCCH burst pattern and/oran HS-SCCH reception pattern. The transmission gaps may be defined by atleast one second pattern, e.g., at least one transmission gap pattern.Each second pattern may be multiple times the duration of each firstpattern.

Data may be exchanged (e.g., sent and/or received) during the enabledsubframes that do not overlap the transmission gaps (block 916). Dataexchanges may be skipped during the enabled subframes that overlap thetransmission gaps (block 918). Cell measurements (e.g., for otherfrequencies and/or other systems) may be made during the transmissiongaps (block 920).

FIG. 10 shows a design of a process 1000 for operation by a UE. Enabledsubframes for the UE may be determined, e.g., based on at least onefirst pattern that may include an uplink DPCCH burst pattern and/or anHS-SCCH reception pattern (block 1012). Skipped subframes for the UE maybe determined, e.g., based on a second pattern (block 1014). The skippedsubframes may be a subset of the enabled subframes. Data may beexchanged during enabled subframes not corresponding to the skippedsubframes (block 1016). Data exchanges may be skipped during the skippedsubframes (block 1018). Cell measurements may be made during extendedidle times, which are between the enabled subframes and cover theskipped subframes, e.g., as shown in FIG. 7 (block 1020).

FIG. 11 shows a design of a process 1100 for operation by a UE. Aconfiguration for a compressed mode for the UE may be obtained, e.g.,via upper layer signaling or some other means (block 1112). Orders maybe received on a shared control channel to enable and disable thecompressed mode (block 1114). The orders may be sent as lower layer(e.g., L1/L2) signaling. The UE may operate based on the configurationfor the compressed mode when enabled by an order received on the sharedcontrol channel (block 1116). The configuration for the compressed modemay indicate transmission gaps. Data exchanges may be skipped during thetransmission gaps when the compressed mode is enabled. The UE mayreceive an order to disable the compressed mode, then receive a datatransmission burst, and then receive an order to enable the compressedmode.

A UE may resume transmission after an idle period in either thecompressed mode or the CPC mode. The UE may store the transmit powerused at the end of a prior transmission and may use this transmit powerfor a current transmission. However, the channel conditions may havechanged during the idle period. In this case, the transmit power usedfor the prior transmission may not be sufficient for the currenttransmission, which may be more unreliable as a result.

In one design, the UE uses open loop estimates to determine the transmitpower for the current transmission. An open loop estimate may be anestimate of the path loss from a Node B to a UE and may be obtainedbased on pilot transmitted by the Node B. If the pilot is transmitted atknown or constant transmit power, then the path loss may be determinedbased on the received pilot power at the UE. The UE may make a firstopen loop estimate at the end of the prior transmission and may make asecond open loop estimate at the start of the current transmission. Ifthe transmit power for the pilot is constant, then each open loopestimate may be equal to the received pilot power. The UE may determinethe transmit power for the current transmission as follows:

P ₂ =P ₁ +A _(OL), and   Eq(1)

A _(OL) =OL ₁ −OL ₂,  Eq(2)

where P₁ is the transmit power for the prior transmission,

-   -   P₂ is the transmit power for the current transmission,    -   OL₁ is the first open loop estimate for the prior transmission,    -   OL₂ is the second open loop estimate for the current        transmission, and    -   A_(OL) is a power adjustment based on the open loop estimates.

If the open loop estimate (e.g., the received pilot power) for thecurrent transmission is less than the open loop estimate for the priortransmission, which may indicate deteriorated channel conditions, thenA_(OL) may be a positive value, and higher transmit power may be usedfor the current transmission. This may improve the reliability of thecurrent transmission. Conversely, if OL₂ is greater than OL₁, thenA_(OL) may be set either (i) to a negative value to possibly reduceinterference or (ii) to zero to ensure that the transmit power for thecurrent transmission is equal to or greater than the transmit power forthe prior transmission.

In another design, the UE starts with a positive offset power adjustmentfor the current transmission. In this design, the UE may determine thetransmit power for the current transmission as follows:

P ₂ =P ₁ +A _(OS),  Eq(3)

where A_(OS) is the positive offset power adjustment. A_(OS) may be afixed value, e.g., X decibels (dB), where X may be a suitably selectedvalue. Alternatively, A_(OS) may be a configurable value, e.g.,determined based on the amount and/or rate of change in transmit powerduring the prior transmission.

In yet another design, the UE ramps up the transmit power during apreamble of the current transmission. A preamble is pilot sent prior todata transmission in an enabled uplink subframe. The preamble length maybe configurable and may be 2 to 15 slots for CPC. In this design, the UEmay increase the transmit power in each slot during the preamble, asfollows:

P ₂ =P ₁ +A _(m), for m=1, 2, . . . ,  Eq(4)

where A_(m) is a power adjustment for the m-th slot of the preamble,with A₁<A₂< . . . A_(m) may be a fixed value or a configurable value.

For all designs described above, a power control mechanism may be usedto adjust the transmit power of the UE to achieve the desiredperformance. For this power control mechanism, the Node B may receivethe current transmission from the UE, determine the received signalquality of the transmission, and send power control (PC) commands toadjust the transmit power of the UE to achieve the desired receivedsignal quality. The power adjustment by the UE at the start of thecurrent transmission may ensure that sufficient transmit power is usedfor the transmission. The power control mechanism may ensure that thetransmit power is adjusted to the proper level to achieve goodperformance for the UE while reducing interference to other UEs.

FIG. 12 shows a design of a process 1200 for transmission by a UE.Transmit power used for a first transmission sent in a first timeinterval (e.g., a first enabled uplink subframe) may be determined(block 1212). Transmit power for a second transmission in a second timeinterval (e.g., a second enabled uplink subframe) may be determinedbased on the transmit power used for the first transmission and a poweradjustment (block 1214). The second time interval may be separated fromthe first time interval by an idle period, which may correspond to atransmission gap in the compressed mode or an idle time between twoenabled subframes in the CPC mode.

In one design, the power adjustment may be determined based on a firstopen loop estimate obtained for the first transmission and a second openloop estimate obtained for the second transmission. The first open loopestimate may be based on received pilot power at the end of the firsttime interval, and the second open loop estimate may be based onreceived pilot power at the start of the second time interval. Inanother design, the power adjustment is a predetermined positive value.In yet another design, the power adjustment is an increasing valueduring an initial part (e.g., a preamble) of the second transmission.

FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of a design of UE 120, which may be one ofthe UEs in FIG. 1. On the uplink, an encoder 1312 may receive data andsignaling to be sent by UE 120 on the uplink. Encoder 1312 may process(e.g., format, encode, and interleave) the data and signaling. Amodulator (Mod) 1314 may further process (e.g., modulate, channelize,and scramble) the encoded data and signaling and provide output chips. Atransmitter (TMTR) 1322 may condition (e.g., convert to analog, filter,amplify, and frequency upconvert) the output chips and generate anuplink signal, which may be transmitted via an antenna 1324 to Node B110.

On the downlink, antenna 1324 may receive downlink signals transmittedby Node B 110 and other Node Bs. A receiver (RCVR) 1326 may condition(e.g., filter, amplify, frequency downconvert, and digitize) thereceived signal from antenna 1324 and provide samples. A demodulator(Demod) 1316 may process (e.g., descramble, channelize, and demodulate)the samples and provide symbol estimates. A decoder 1318 may furtherprocess (e.g., deinterleave and decode) the symbol estimates and providedecoded data and signaling. The downlink signaling may compriseconfiguration information for the compressed mode (e.g., a transmissiongap pattern sequence), configuration information for the CPC mode (e.g.,enabled downlink and uplink subframes), HS-SCCH orders to configure,enable and/or disable the CPC mode and/or the compressed mode, etc.Encoder 1312, modulator 1314, demodulator 1316, and decoder 1318 may beimplemented by a modem processor 1310. These units may performprocessing in accordance with the radio technology (e.g., W-CDMA, GSM,etc.) used by the system.

A controller/processor 1330 may direct the operation of various units atUE 120. Controller/processor 1330 may implement process 900 in FIG. 9,process 1000 in FIG. 10, process 1100 in FIG. 11 and/or other processesto support operation in the CPC and/or compressed mode.Controller/processor 1330 may also implement process 1200 in FIG. 12and/or other processes for power control on the uplink. Memory 1332 maystore program codes and data for UE 120.

FIG. 13 also shows a block diagram of Node B 110, which may be one ofthe Node Bs in FIG. 1. Within Node B 110, a transmitter/receiver 1338may support radio communication with UE 120 and other UEs. Aprocessor/controller 1340 may perform various functions forcommunication with the UEs. Processor/controller 1340 may perform theNode B side processing for each of the processes shown in FIGS. 9through 12 to support operation of UE 120 in the CPC and/or compressedmode. Memory 1342 may store program codes and data for Node B 110.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described inconnection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronichardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, variousillustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have beendescribed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performedwith a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Ageneral-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with thedisclosure herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, theprocessor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in auser terminal.

In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computerstorage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Astorage media may be any available media that can be accessed by ageneral purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carryor store desired program code means in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose orspecial-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purposeprocessor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readablemedium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologiessuch as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproducedata optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also beincluded within the scope of computer-readable media.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable anyperson skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to theexamples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widestscope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least oneprocessor to determine enabled subframes for a user equipment (UE), todetermine skipped subframes for the UE, to exchange data during enabledsubframes not corresponding to the skipped subframes, and to skip dataexchanges during the skipped subframes; and a memory coupled to the atleast one processor.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at leastone processor determines the enabled subframes based on at least onefirst pattern, and determines the skipped subframes based on a secondpattern.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processormakes cell measurements during extended idle times between enabledsubframes and covering skipped subframes.
 4. A method for wirelesscommunication, comprising: determining enabled subframes for a userequipment (UE); determining skipped subframes for the UE; exchangingdata during enabled subframes not corresponding to the skippedsubframes; and skipping data exchanges during the skipped subframes. 5.The method of claim 4, further comprising: making cell measurementsduring extended idle times between enabled subframes and coveringskipped subframes.